Typically, purchasing a computer for an employee means selecting
a model that's ideal for performing specific tasks. It also
means finding one that complements the computer resources you
already have. For Warner Weiss, owner of Sugars International LLC,
an Englewood, Colorado, homebased software development and
consulting business for the sugar industry, the answer was the
Hewlett-Packard Brio 8177.

Weiss was already using one of Hewlett-Packard's Vectra
models for software development. What he needed was a PC for his
part-time accountant to keep the books on, and one to back up
software used by clients in the field. For Weiss, the Brio 8177,
which contains a 233 MHz Pentium processor with MMX technology,
32MB RAM, 1MB VRAM and a 4GB hard drive, filled the bill. "We
were looking for a machine that stepped up the speed and performed
better backup. So far it's worked really well," says
Weiss, 55.

At a price of $1,689, the Brio 8177 comes loaded with Microsoft
Word and other business productivity software. This was attractive
to Weiss because he needed a PC with software that would allow his
accountant to create letters and other correspondence. Weiss added
Hewlett-Packard's 7110 rewritable CD-ROM drive to back up
accounting and client data, software and more.

For Weiss, the Brio 8177's strong communication tools have
been a real plus. This model comes with a 56 Kbps modem, which he
uses for speedy Internet access; he also finds it handy for sending
and receiving large files via e-mail to and from his many
international clients. Weiss is also using the Brio 8177 to create
a Web page for his business.

Fine Print

Sales and marketing materials usually call for the professional
look of laser printing. At $349, Mita's DP-580 laser printer is
an affordable solution that could bring your homebased business
into the world of high-quality printing. This 1,200 dpi laser
printer outputs halftones and graphics clearly, making it a strong
choice for printing the charts, graphics and visuals included in
most business materials. At six pages per minute, its speed is also
quite good.

The DP-580's compact, lightweight design works well in tight
quarters. It has a top-loading 100-sheet paper tray and a
single-sheet bypass tray for inputting special paper on the fly.
The versatile DP-580 accommodates up to 24-pound letter- or
legal-sized paper, as well as envelopes, letterhead, labels and
transparencies. The printer also collates automatically.

Copy Cat

Most people think moving from the corporate life into the
entrepreneurial world means having to live without perks like a
high-quality copier. Canon's PC 430 personal copier ($369),
however, provides a flexible, affordable solution that will likely
meet most homebased business requirements.

The PC 430 copies letter-sized documents at a fairly swift clip:
4 copies per minute (cpm). This versatile copier accommodates
legal-sized documents as well; however, output speed in these cases
is reduced to 3 cpm. Unlike the laborious single-sheet feeding
feature that some copiers have, the PC 430 also contains a 50-sheet
multi-stack tray for continuous copying.

Additional features of the compact PC 430 copier include a
single cartridge system for easy maintenance and an energy-saving
auto shut-off feature that powers down after 51Â¦2 minutes if
the copier is not used. For more information, visit http://www.canon.com

Just In Case

Carrying cases for notebook computers are old news. But carrying
cases for personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld PCs and
mininotebooks? Now that's news. Targus recently
introduced a full line of carriers that prove handy for storing a
handheld PC or PDA and all its accessories when you hit the open
road.

One product to consider: the Targus PDA/Handheld PC leather
organizer ($79.99). This organizer holds a PDA or handheld PC
that's up to 9.5-by-5-by-1.5 inches in size. It's also
roomy enough to accommodate extras like PC cards, a cellular phone,
spare batteries, disks and more. For details, check out http://www.targus.com

Cross Reference

When you're the only employee on staff, getting organized
means everything. Smith Corona's Work Ready TelAssistant
TA-2632 can help. The TA-2632 combines the features of a phone and
an electronic organizer into one unit, so there's more synergy
between your phone communication and organization tools.

The TA-2632 is a two-line speakerphone with multiple speed-dial
lists for quick access to your most frequently used numbers. It
also has useful electronic organizer features. A 128K electronic
phone book holds up to 2,000 card files with contact information
that's shown on the phone's LCD display. The TA-2632's
pager-notification feature forwards a caller's phone number to
your pager, keeping you up-to-date while you're out of the
office.

Wireless infrared data transfer allows easy transfer of files to
Smith Corona's portable TelAssistant products, such as the
PTA-632 pocket electronic organizer, so you can take your contact
information with you. The PTA-632 has a 128K electronic phone book
for storing contacts, a calculator, a monthly calendar and a to-do
list. You can also set an alarm to alert you at a specific date or
time of an important event. Together, the two products cost $199;
purchased separately, the TA-2632 sells for $149 and the PTA-632
costs $69. For more information, call Smith Corona at (607)
753-6011.